Archive for the ‘Weight Loss’ Category

A study published in the journal Nutrition & Metabolism reaffirmed that resveratrol consumption can reduce body fat as a percentage of body weight.

In the study, resveratrol in the amount of 30 mg./kg. of body weight/day (the equivalent of about 2000 mg. per day for a 150 pound human) was fed to a group of mice on a high fat diet for 6 weeks. Another group of mice also fed a high fat diet were not given resveratrol.

At the conclusion of the study, although both groups of mice weighed the same, the group that was given the resveratrol had significantly lower levels of body fat as a proportion of body weight.

This study reaffirms observations of Dr. Johan Auwerx of the Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology in Illkirch France who stated, “Resveratrol makes you look like a trained athlete without the training”.

It goes without saying that the bodies of mice do not function identically to humans – e.g. their respective rates of metabolism are different, and thus the required dosages of resveratrol may not be equivalent per the respective body weights. In other words, humans might require more or less resveratrol than the equivalent dose to achieve the same effect in mice. What’s more, it is becoming apparent that lower doses of resveratrol (eg. 50 to 500 mg. per day) may have a significant effect on human physiology – for instance with regard to insulin sensitivity in the treatment of type two diabetes.

German researchers discovered that resveratrol helped prevent human fat cells from maturing – which hurt their ability to function effectively. Further, resveratrol, even blocked molecules from turning into fat. According to the study’s authors, "Our findings open up the new perspective that resveratrol induced intracellular pathways could be a target for prevention or treatment of obesity-associated endocrine and metabolic adverse effects". Editor’s Note: studies have also shown that resveratrol can reduce the weight of mice on high fat diets. Moreover, the fact that the cells used in this study are human cells is good news.

A recent German study revealed that resveratrol, through SIRT1, prevents fat cells from forming.The results of this study are consistent with studies where large doses of resveratrol fed to mice on high calorie diets reduced weight gain compared to mice not fed resveratrol. Could resveratrol and/or SIRT1 activation be used to fight the global obesity epidemic? Please see the “Weight Loss” tab for more information.